Top opening dispenser for plastic gloves or other soft articles



March 24, 1970 J. E IRVIN 3,502,244

TOP OPENING DISPENSER FOR PLASTIC GLOVES I \iwz 7 I 1w" ENTOR Invm zl .T5 a m 32 27 A'r'rY.

J. E. IRVIN TOP OPENING DISPENSER FOR PLASTIC GLOVES OR OTHER SOFT ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 2, 1968 INVENTOR Joe E. IRvm ATT United States Patent 3,502,244 TOP OPENING DISPENSER FOR PLASTIC GLOVES OR OTHER SOFT ARTICLES Joe E. Irvin, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to Barter Laboratories, Inc., Morton Grove, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 695,216 Int. Cl. B65h 1/00 US. Cl. 221-63 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container comprising a plastic shell with a dispens- The present invention relates to dispensers. Particularly the invention relates to a dispenser for soft articles and of the class ordinarily considered top opening.

Recently developed thin walled plastic gloves are preferred over their thicker walled predecessors for use, for example, during surgical procedures because they minimize interference with tactile sensing and tend to cling intimately to the users hands,thereby they facilitate manipulation. The nature of the gloves is such, however, that disposal is indicated after each use. As a consequence, heretofore, these gloves, as commercial articles, have been too expensive for many uses for example, household chores such as dish washing in which they could be advantageously employed. One way of lowering article cost in commerce is to reduce packaging cost.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for compressible articles.

It is another object of the invention to minimize the cost of packaging disposable articles such as plastic gloves and thereby increase their use and enjoyment.

The features in a dispenser by which the foregoing objects are achieved are a plastic shell which comprises a container having a dispensing opening through which articles from the container chamber are removable. Holding means which are fashioned integrally with said shell project into the container chamber and engage a snap in article retaining plate for closing the container chamber after loading. A cover is secured to said shell below the retaining plate and may have a pair of indicia bearing flaps which have portions engaged in outwardly opening grooves defined by said holding means for dis playing said indicia.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and appended claims, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein the same reference character or numeral refers to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

011 the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser assembly embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of one of the dispensers shown in FIG. 1.

3,502,244 Patented Mara. 24, 1970 FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective on a scale enlarged from FIG. 1 and illustrating an end of a stack of dispenser forming shells nested in storage position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken according to the section line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view according to the scale of FIG. 3 and showing an end fragment of a dispenser.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view according to the line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, however, illustrating only the dispenser forming shell.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view in perspective of the dispenser assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a dispenser for soft articles such as, for example, collapsible thin-walled plastic gloves 35 comprises a container A which is comprised of a plastic shell 11. Container A and a like container B are associated in an assembly which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 of the drawings. To the extent that their constructions are the same, only the components of container A may be particularly described and labeled in the drawings with identifying indicia.

For the purpose of orientation, shell 11 is considered as having a top wall 13 the planar projection of which has a rectangular profile. A pair of opposite elongated side walls 15 and 17 and a pair of opposed end walls 19 and 21 are formed integrally with and extend downwardly from top wall 13. Top wall 13 may have a slight concavity and defines a preferably centrally disposed dispensing opening 23 through which gloves 35 may be Withdrawn from a chamber 25 bounded by the walls of shell 11. A perimetric flange integral with shell 11 projects outwardly from the bases of walls 15, 17, 19 and 21 to provide a continuous manually grippable flange 27.

Walls 15, 17, 19 and 21 are arranged as a truncated pyramid having a rectangular base whereby shell 11 together with a plurality of like shells may be nested for storage in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. A spacer or shoulder 29 which may be integrally fashioned with shell 11 projects outwardly from each of the four corners defined by walls 15, 17, 19 and 21. Said shoulders are disposed in a horizontal plane between top wall 13 and flange 27 and are adapted for supportive engagement when in nested condition by the flange 27 of an associated shell. The height of shoulders 29 is such that fingers of an operator may be introduced between adjacent flanges 27 for separating nested shells.

. In the illustrated form of the invention, plastic shell 11 is molded with a snap in holding means comprising a pair of lugs 31 each of which projects adjacent flange 27 into chamber 25 from the lower end portion of a respective of end walls 19 and 21. Lugs 31 are proportioned to accommodate insertion into chamber 25 through its lower end or article loading opening 3-2 (FIG. 7) and retention from removal therefrom of a flexible snap in plate or retainer 33. Thereby, a plurality of gloves 35 can be held in chamber 25 for removal through dispensing opening 23.

In the illustrated embodiment gloves 35 are shown sandwiched between separating tissues 37, when packaged, although such tissues may be omitted. Inasmuch as the hands of potential users of gloves 35 may be of varying dimensions, each of containers A and B may house gloves sized dilferently from the size of the gloves in the other container.

A unitary cover structure comprising a pair of connected together sections or covers 39 and 41, which are separable along a line of scoring 43, provides the means for connecting containers A and B together. Said covers are substantially of like construction and configuration in consequence of which only cover 39 associated with container A may be described further.

Cover 39 is rectangular corresponding to the profile of flange 27 so that thereto shell 11 may be secured by suitable adhesive. A pair of opposite end flaps 45 extend outwardly from opposite ends of cover 39 for folding over adjacent portions of flange 27 when the cover and its shell are in assembled relationship. Each end flap 45 is proportioned so that it can be cut and folded, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, with one portion 47 adapted to lie against wall 21 to which it can be adhesively secured and another flap portion 49 adapted for engagement against the upper surface of flange 27 to which the latter flap portion may be adhesively secured.

In the formation of shell 11, a wall groove, recess or undercut 51 may be generated upon molding of each shoulder 31. Each of these grooves may serve to hold an extension 53 (FIGS. 5 and 6) of an associated flap portion and thereby obviate the requirement for use of an adhesive to secure flap portions 47 and 49 to end walls 19 and 21 and to the upper surface of flange 27. That is to say each flap 45 can be fabricated and proportioned in a manner such that when flap extension 53 is engaged in an associated recess 51, the tensions created are sufficient to hold its flap portions 47 and 49 in engagement with or near its end wall and the top of flange 27, respectively.

Each flap section 47, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, forms a convenient display surface on which the sizes of gloves within an assembly of dispensers A and B can be marked. The foregoing minimizes the cost of a dispensing container for disposable articles. Moreover, the invention provides inexpensive means for displaying distinguishing indicia representing variations in articles packaged within an assembly of containers so that from a single article of commerce a user may have a selection.

As many substitutions or changes could be made in the i above described construction, and as many widely different embodiments of the invention could be constructed without departing from the scope and spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as being presented in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dispenser for soft articles, the combination of: a plastic shell comprising a container having a top wall with a dispensing opening and defining a chamber; holding means fashioned integrally with said shell and projecting into said chamber; a, generally fiat, snap in article retainer spaced below said top wall and engaged by said holding means for closing said chamber after loading; and a cover secured to said shell below said snap in article retainer.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which said shell defines outwardly opening groove means, and having indicia bearing means integral with said cover and engaged in said groove means for displaying said indicia.

3. A combination according to claim 1 characterized by a plurality of shoulders fashioned integrally with said shell for supporting in nested association therewith a like member.

4. A combination according to claim 1 characterized by a base flange integral with and extending outwardly from said shell and rigidly secured to said cover.

5. A combination according to claim 1 in which said shell has a pair of opposite walls extending from said top Wall, said holding means being fashioned in said opposite walls, said holding means defining said grooves.

6. An article of manufacture comprising: a pair of plastic article dispensers, said dispensers comprising a pair of shells having upper dispensing openings and arranged in side-by-side association, a plurality of compressible articles loaded in said shells and manually removable through said dispensing openings, each of said shells having an outwardly extending flange defining a lower article loading opening; a snap in plate retained adjacent each lower end opening for closing said dispensers from below after loading and a cover structure secured to said flanges from below, said cover structure having a line of scoring for separating said dispensers.

7. An article as defined in claim 6 characterized by indicia bearing means connected to said cover structure for display of said indicia adjacent each of said shells above said cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,234 1/1965 Conklin et al 22l63 X 3,381,853 5/1968 Ferris et al. 22163 3,223,281 12/1965 Larkin 221-46 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner 5 33 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N 3502244 Dated March 24- 1970 Invent fl Joe E. Irvin It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

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